Londoner marks pickpockets with red spray

In London, a man known online as pickpocketlondon scours the streets for groups of pickpockets. When he sees them, he uses a red spray to mark them, alerting passers-by and shopkeepers to their presence. The groups seem to recognize him and try to avoid contact. His approach is reminiscent of a number of citizen initiatives aimed at preventing theft in public spaces, even if the intervention remains at the limit of what private individuals can do.